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.... “This proposal brings greater certainty for pension scheme members and unlocks the possibility of restructuring the company, which in turn could lead to preserving jobs,” said Lesley Titcomb, the chief executive of TPR. The broad outline of the deal was announced in May when Tata agreed it would pump £550m into the British Steel pension scheme, which would also take a 33% stake in Tata’s UK business. ...
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.... “This proposal brings greater certainty for pension scheme members and unlocks the possibility of restructuring the company, which in turn could lead to preserving jobs,” said Lesley Titcomb, the chief executive of TPR. The broad outline of the deal was announced in May when Tata agreed it would pump £550m into the British Steel pension scheme, which would also take a 33% stake in Tata’s UK business. ...

....But maybe it is a risk worth taking if, actually, the Pru’s long-term ambition is to sell or demerge the UK operation to concentrate on its booming operation in Asia. A bigger UK business, wrapped up neatly via a merger of its two biggest parts, might be viewed as better equipped for independent life. ...

....He said: “As the Brexit negotiations unfold, safeguarding the favourable terms of trade that UK firms currently enjoy with partners and markets in Europe and beyond must be a key priority. More must also be done to provide greater practical and frontline assistance to UK businesses looking to trade in both current and new markets. ...

.... In the first half alone, customers enjoyed approximately £30m of extra value through better odds, more generous offers and new loyalty benefits,” he said. Paddy Power Betfair said on Monday that Corcoran would be replaced by Peter Jackson, a non-executive director at the gambling firm and chief executive of the UK business of Worldpay, which handles 40% of all card payments at tills in Britain. ...

....The UK needs to prepare itself for weaker economic performance, two major forecasting groups have said, in the latest studies predicting the downsides of the Brexit vote. Fragile business sentiment linked to Brexit-related anxiety, domestic political uncertainty and squeezed consumer budgets have caused UK business confidence to drop to its lowest point for almost six years, the economic consultancy IHS Markit reports. ...

.... The issue was also raised in May by the Scottish parliament. PricewaterhouseCoopers recently found that 65% of UK businesses were “significantly concerned” over cyber risks to energy technology. ...

....British businesses have rejected claims by leading Brexiters that trade with the rest of the world can replace free access to European markets, arguing that quitting the single market and customs union without a trade deal with the EU will harm their growth prospects. In a report by the former shadow chancellor Ed Balls and Peter Sands, senior fellows at Harvard University’s Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, UK businesses owners warned that a bad deal, or no deal, on Brexit would be disastrous for British jobs, investment and growth. ...

....Dr Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce, said the electorate’s split decision would generate further uncertainty for businesses “who are already grappling with currency fluctuations, rising costs, and the potential impacts of Brexit”. He said companies had been doing their best to screen out political noise for months to focus on their own operations, but warned: “This result will prove much harder for UK businesses to ignore. ...

.... . NatWest is also supporting UK business through its work with accelerator Espark and San Francisco hub developer RocketSpace which is opening a state-of-the art tech campus at the bank’s offices in north London in a few months’ time. ...

....Shares in Britain’s biggest companies reached record levels on Friday as a slump in the pound boosted the value of firms with overseas earnings. The FTSE 100 jumped 63 points to close the day at 7,547, closely followed by the FTSE 250, seen as a better barometer of the health of UK business, which also reached an all-time closing high, rising 57 points to 20,024. ...

....UK factories have cashed in on the sharp fall in the pound since the Brexit vote, with export orders at the joint highest level in three and a half years. The stronger than expected findings from a survey by the CBI, the UK business trade body, suggest manufacturers had a decent start to the second quarter, boosting hopes that the sector will help prop up the wider economy as a consumer slowdown takes hold. ...

....One obvious example is Hinkley Point C, which is being built by French nuclear contractor EDF and its Chinese partners. The contract for the new power station was signed in September 2016 by UK business secretary Greg Clark, alongside Jean-Bernard Lévy, the chair of EDF, and He Yu, chair of China General Nuclear, who said the programme was a “triple win for China, Britain, and France” and the culmination of years of cooperation between the three countries. ...

....Chief executive Moya Greene said: "We have made good progress against all of our strategic priorities. This has been a more challenging period for UK businesses and we have come through it well. ...

....Unions reacted cautiously to the announcement by the Indian-owned company that it would pump £550m into the British Steel pension scheme – one of the UK’s largest, with liabilities of £15bn and 130,000 members, including former employees from the days when it was part of a state-owned company. The scheme will also get a 33% stake in Tata’s UK business. ...

....The other issue with getting an overseas mortgage is that you will not receive the same protections as you would if you dealt with a UK institution. Bodies like the Financial Ombudsman Service can only deal with complaints regarding companies that operate in or from the UK, while the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) only regulates UK businesses, so if something went wrong you would not be able to claim compensation on an overseas mortgage. ...

....But the leaked manifesto calls for control of these companies, which could possibly be achieved by buying stakes in these businesses rather than nationalising them. BBC business editor Simon Jack says National Grid's UK business is estimated to be worth about £25bn. ...

....The British Chambers of Commerce said that while the weaker pound was helping to make UK exporters more price competitive, they were also being hit by the rising costs of raw materials. “As the UK moves through the Brexit process and beyond, it is vital that more is done to provide greater practical assistance for exporters, including developing an expanded trade mission and fairs programme and funding front-line, face-to-face support for exporters to help get UK businesses trading with the world,” said Suren Thiru, head of economics at the BCC. ...

....”. With much at stake, the review is a major undertaking for Maier, but he does have support from a panel of UK business leaders including Sir Charlie Mayfield, the chairman of John Lewis Partnership, and Carolyn Fairbairn, the director general of the CBI. ...

.... But even if you have the cash, how the heck would you go about organising such an event?. The answer for the Saudi prince was simply to phone his concierge services provider, a UK business called Quintessentially. ...

....Most often, these breaches involved fraudulent emails being sent to staff or security issues relating to viruses, spyware or malware. The survey was completed by 1,500 UK businesses and included 30 in-depth interviews. ...

...."Britain's world-leading music sector has the potential for sustained growth in the years ahead, but this exciting future can only be realised if government makes creative businesses a priority post-Brexit," he added. UK artists needed to be able to tour freely in EU markets, and UK businesses needed to be able to employ the best talent, Mr Taylor argued. ...

.... But hiring slowed and average prices charged for goods and services rose at the fastest pace for almost six years. The weaker pound also has benefits for UK businesses, because it makes their goods and services significantly cheaper in overseas markets. ...

....Nissan announced it would build the new Qashqai and the X-Trail SUV at its Sunderland plant following government "support and assurances" after the Brexit vote. Mr Fields said: "I think our intent is making sure that our UK business remains very strong and that's why we're engaging with the governments to be able to say here's what we think we need to make sure that that remains a possibility and we stay across the continent and in the UK and we have a healthy business in Europe. ...

.... More than 80% of big businesses are lobbying the government on the Brexit talks, according to a report by law firm Eversheds Sutherland. But rather than putting some firms ahead of others, ministers must "prioritise what's best for UK business across the board", says Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce. ...

....The long-awaited announcement of the deal is expected to trigger a political battle between the French, German and UK governments to protect jobs and factories in their countries. Greg Clark, the UK business secretary, said: “Vauxhall has a long history of success in this country and we are determined to see that continue. ...

...."There is a risk that Brexit distracts attention from the pressing need to make sure the UK economy is fit for the future," says Institute of Directors chief Stephen Martin. Mr Hammond should act to "re-energise" the UK business community, says the IoD. ...

....Earlier in the week, a similar survey of manufacturers had also suggested a slowdown last month. "A further slowdown in UK business activity growth in February adds to evidence that the economy has lost momentum after the impressive expansion seen at the end of last year," said Mr Williamson. ...

....The FRC said it had requested more powers to tackle bad behaviour. From the end of MG Rover, to the near-collapse of Royal Bank of Scotland and HBOS, through to Tesco's accounting scandal and BHS's extinction, failings in corporate leadership have continued to stalk UK businesses. ...

.... . "We want to help UK businesses make the most of trade and investment opportunities including in the US, through targeted support and bespoke business matching that better maximises their presence to win vital contracts abroad," she said. ...

....Carlos Tavares has been on a charm offensive with politicians and unions in the UK and Germany, trying to soothe fears over factory closures and job losses if the takeover goes ahead. A day after he talked about “speedy” cost savings from the deal, the former Nissan executive headed to London for talks with the UK business minister, Greg Clark, who described the meeting as constructive and reassuring. ...

....The European Union ordered RBS to sell the unit by the end of 2017 to address competition concerns, but last year RBS failed to sell the business to Santander and talks with Clydesdale Bank failed. Instead, RBS and the government have suggested the bank gives £750m - which the bank has set aside - towards initiatives designed to boost competition in UK business banking. ...

....Tavares said he wanted to create a new “European car champion” and pledged to work with national governments and unions worried about job losses. He is due to meet with the UK business secretary, Greg Clark, and Len McCluskey, the general secretary of Unite, Britain’s biggest union, in London on Friday. ...

....Tony Brady, national officer at Unite, said steelworkers had made “great sacrifices” to try to protect the company’s future, which has been at risk since Tata Steel announced a review of its operations nearly a year ago. Tata Steel had proposed saving 8,000 jobs in its UK business and the Port Talbot steelworks by investing £1bn in modernising its operations over the next 10 years. ...

.... Opel, founded in 1862, has a workforce of about 35,600 across Europe, including 18,250 in Germany. The UK business secretary, Greg Clark, spoke to Ammann on Tuesday and met McCluskey, the Unite general secretary, on Wednesday to discuss the potential sale of Opel. ...

....A survey of 200 managers showed that two out of five would consider hiring candidates for a senior role as part of a job-share. Timewise said a growing number of UK businesses were “tearing up” the idea of restricting staff to a nine-to-five, Monday-to-Friday working week. ...

....Thousands of steelworkers will vote on rescue proposals for the Port Talbot steelworks this week in a definitive moment for the crisis in the industry. Tata Steel has tabled a proposal to save 8,000 job in its UK business, including the Port Talbot steelworks in south Wales, by investing £1bn into modernising its operations over the next 10 years. ...

....Sky is to make its full TV service of hundreds of channels available without the need for a satellite dish for the first time, as it looks to stem customer defections to rivals such as BT. The pay-TV giant, which had an 18% plunge in profits at its UK business in the last six months of 2016 thanks to spiralling Premier League rights costs, said it would launch the broadband-delivered TV service next year. ...

....Airbus has warned of a “dangerous new phase” as it faces the twin threat of Brexit and the policies of the Trump administration. Tom Williams, chief operating officer and president of commercial aircraft at the European company, told MPs on the Treasury select committee that it would be “pretty scary” if Airbus were no longer able to operate a successful UK business with the ability to seamlessly move goods and people around the European Union. ...

....Documents from a 2004 court case show how Rolls-Royce, in alliance with other multinationals, exerted pressure on the government to water down proposals that were intended to combat bribery. Tony Blair’s government had proposed strengthening rules to stop bribery in contracts that were supported by the UK’s export credit agency and ministers said they were stepping up efforts to prevent UK businesses paying bribes to secure contracts overseas. ...

.... He reinforced May’s comments about the need to create a global Britain that was open for business but left open the possibility that the government would retaliate if the rest of the EU decided it wanted to punish the UK for voting to leave. Should political retribution triumph over economic logic, Hammond told a UK business lunch, Britain would do whatever it took to remain competitive. ...

....Global markets have been buoyed by president elect Donald Trump’s promises to introduce measures to boost economic growth. On top of that the FTSE 100 has been lifted by a fall in sterling since the Brexit vote, which has helped those companies which make most of their earnings overseas and has also made UK businesses cheaper for overseas investors. ...

....Anstead said: “If our forecasts are correct we expect Morrisons to be most pleased with the way in which trading panned out, although we also expect further evidence of Tesco’s ongoing momentum. “We do know that Tesco’s UK business had a relatively strong Christmas period last year [2015]. ...

....Where a traditional hotel has to pay expensive business rates on its property, and charge VAT on the entire cost of its stay, individuals and small businesses who let out rooms on Airbnb have a much lighter taxation regime: the service only charges VAT on its service fees, not on the bulk of the cash transferred from guest to host, and homeowners are recipients of a number of tax breaks aimed at encouraging them to take on lodgers. Larger UK businesses are also levied VAT, but only when their revenue tops £83,000, something only the largest Airbnb hosts achieve. ...

....But a spokeswoman for the UK's Department for International Trade (DIT) said it thought it was more effective for UK attendees to base themselves elsewhere in product-themed areas. "The UK continues to be a world-leader in the tech and innovation industry, and events like CES can provide UK businesses with vital contacts to build their brand abroad," she said. ...

....There is little sign of it yet, but in theory the weak pound should help UK exports by making them cheaper in overseas markets. If the government wants UK businesses to capitalise on the drop in sterling it will need to give them more support to crack new markets such as one-to-one mentoring and funding to attend trade fairs. ...

....9p after it announced a £112m sale of its Dunlop brand to Japan's Sumitomo Rubber Industries. The retailer said it did not have the capacity to "develop and manage international brands simultaneously" and needed to prioritise its core UK businesses and relationships with third party brands. ...

.... Managers in the private sector were more optimistic than those in the public and charity sectors. The CMI’s chief executive, Ann Francke, said the results showed that despite uncertain times ahead there were still opportunities for “forward-thinking” UK businesses. ...